Choosing a College Major
What are you doing after graduation?
Many think that students going off to college need to know what they want to do before they graduate. They may even face frustrations when everyone they meet continuosly asks them what are you going to college for and what do you want to do once you graduate?
If you have not decided on a career don't worry, it's not an uncommon place to be.
My experience working with students is that they are often undecided about their future career during the first couple of years of college or maybe even longer.
Of course there are those minority of students who believe that they know exactly what they want to do once they graduate; but I don’t see this as the majority of students I work with. Perhaps you have always thought of becoming a veterinarian or a lawyer and those interests have stayed with you throughout your college years. You may decide that the best course of action is to go immediately on to graduate school to get an advanced degree. On the other hand, you may be one of those students who are still evaluating your interests, values, and skills and undecided on how they fit into pursuing a career.
Why students go to college?
Many students go to college because it is an expectation that has been encouraged by family and friends from very early on. Popular thoughts that a college education will help you better yourself and get a good job are some of the reasons students apply and attend college. In the beginning just going to college may be the goal; but as you move through your sophomore, junior, and senior years you will want to begin developing specific goals that will lead you to your ultimate career.
Doing a thorough self-assessment is key to making a well-informed career choice.
Similarly many students come to college knowing what they want to declare as a major. Frequently students change their major and may do this several times before graduation. College is a place where students can really assess their interests and skills and they may find that they are quite different than what they originally thought. Once students are exposed to new experiences, people, and academic coursework they may choose a very different direction in terms of deciding on a futre career.
College is a time where students experience many new and different ideas that can lead to many long-term changes that can last a lifetime. It may be a class, a club, community service project, friends, sports, or an internship that provides new ways of thinking that could drastically change the course of their career.
Students often struggle with finding the right major and become frustrated when they can’t decide on what might be the perfect one for them. Things to consider are that completing a specific major can lead to many different types of careers. Evaluating interests based on where you want to work, the hours required, interaction with people, if they are math, technology or science related careers or even the humanities will ultimately help in making a well-informed career choice. Can you see yourself doing scientific research over the course of day or are you someone that requires flexibility and prefers working outside rather than being stuck behind a desk or in a laboratory all day? Doing a thorough self-assessment is the cornerstone of the career planning process and once you’ve made a decision it makes it a lot easier to make a decision on what type of work you want to do.
Removing some of the pressure of having to make a decision or meeting the expectations of others will alleviate some of the stress associated with having to make a career decision. Since you will be spending a good deal of your time working, a career decision make take time and should not be made by the influence of others.
Tips for Making the Career Decision-Making Process Easier:
There are a number of assessments that can help you with this process. Check with the Career Development Center at your college to see if they offer any that can help you in evaluating your personality, interests, skills, and values. I do not recommend most of the online assessments because their validity and reliability may be in question. In addition, one of the most valuable aspects of any assessment is the time it takes to go over the assessment with a qualified career professional.
An important point to remember is that there may be many jobs that are right for you. Consequently, there is no one perfect job. Another thing to keep in mind is that statistics show that many people change jobs between eight and twelve times throughout the course of their career; so it does not make sense to procrastinate in making a career decision since it's likely that you will make a number of changes throughout your career.
Many think that students going off to college need to know what they want to do before they graduate. They may even face frustrations when everyone they meet continuosly asks them what are you going to college for and what do you want to do once you graduate?
If you have not decided on a career don't worry, it's not an uncommon place to be.
My experience working with students is that they are often undecided about their future career during the first couple of years of college or maybe even longer.
Of course there are those minority of students who believe that they know exactly what they want to do once they graduate; but I don’t see this as the majority of students I work with. Perhaps you have always thought of becoming a veterinarian or a lawyer and those interests have stayed with you throughout your college years. You may decide that the best course of action is to go immediately on to graduate school to get an advanced degree. On the other hand, you may be one of those students who are still evaluating your interests, values, and skills and undecided on how they fit into pursuing a career.
Why students go to college?
Many students go to college because it is an expectation that has been encouraged by family and friends from very early on. Popular thoughts that a college education will help you better yourself and get a good job are some of the reasons students apply and attend college. In the beginning just going to college may be the goal; but as you move through your sophomore, junior, and senior years you will want to begin developing specific goals that will lead you to your ultimate career.
Doing a thorough self-assessment is key to making a well-informed career choice.
Similarly many students come to college knowing what they want to declare as a major. Frequently students change their major and may do this several times before graduation. College is a place where students can really assess their interests and skills and they may find that they are quite different than what they originally thought. Once students are exposed to new experiences, people, and academic coursework they may choose a very different direction in terms of deciding on a futre career.
College is a time where students experience many new and different ideas that can lead to many long-term changes that can last a lifetime. It may be a class, a club, community service project, friends, sports, or an internship that provides new ways of thinking that could drastically change the course of their career.
Students often struggle with finding the right major and become frustrated when they can’t decide on what might be the perfect one for them. Things to consider are that completing a specific major can lead to many different types of careers. Evaluating interests based on where you want to work, the hours required, interaction with people, if they are math, technology or science related careers or even the humanities will ultimately help in making a well-informed career choice. Can you see yourself doing scientific research over the course of day or are you someone that requires flexibility and prefers working outside rather than being stuck behind a desk or in a laboratory all day? Doing a thorough self-assessment is the cornerstone of the career planning process and once you’ve made a decision it makes it a lot easier to make a decision on what type of work you want to do.
Removing some of the pressure of having to make a decision or meeting the expectations of others will alleviate some of the stress associated with having to make a career decision. Since you will be spending a good deal of your time working, a career decision make take time and should not be made by the influence of others.
Tips for Making the Career Decision-Making Process Easier:
- Take time to know yourself.
Rather than focusing entirely on a college major or career, the logical first step in the career-decision making process is in finding ways that you can learn how to know yourself better. This may include meeting with a career counselor at the Career Development Center at your college to see what types of assessments they offer. - Evaluate what you like to do in your spare time?
Your hobbies and personal interests can be important indicators on the types of jobs you may enjoy. What you do in your spare time is usually something that peaks your interests and that motivates you to do more. - Do you enjoy working individually or do you prefer working as a part of a team (or a little bit of both)?
There are many jobs that require working independently most of the time. Some of these include computer programming, scientific research, writing, art, plus much, much more. On the other hand there are those jobs that require teamwork and working with people most of the time. Many careers in business, theater, participating in musical performances are of this nature and they require someone who is motivated by the energy around them. - Do you prefer working indoors or outdoors?
Environment plays a key role in making a career decision. Those individuals who absolutely hate being indoors and working behind a desk will not fare well in a job that provides this type of workplace. - Identify your favorite subject and what comes easy to you?
Oftentimes it is the things that come easiest for us that are the things we most like to do. If you are a people person, sales might be the right career choice for you; whereby, if you tend to be shy and prefer working independently this probaly wouldn't be a job where you will thrive or feel comfortable. - Does being productive and doing classwork motivate you or do you prefer having the time to do the activities that you enjoy?
There are a number of assessments that can help you with this process. Check with the Career Development Center at your college to see if they offer any that can help you in evaluating your personality, interests, skills, and values. I do not recommend most of the online assessments because their validity and reliability may be in question. In addition, one of the most valuable aspects of any assessment is the time it takes to go over the assessment with a qualified career professional.
An important point to remember is that there may be many jobs that are right for you. Consequently, there is no one perfect job. Another thing to keep in mind is that statistics show that many people change jobs between eight and twelve times throughout the course of their career; so it does not make sense to procrastinate in making a career decision since it's likely that you will make a number of changes throughout your career.
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